trying to catch up
Tita helping me navigate
Can I just say that it’s been rather busy around here? I forgot that winter is the social season and I get overwhelmed. So, let’s see… Country was here for a week and then we drove her to Akumal for a day and to the airport in Cancun. We took all the animals with us in the truck, Mimi rode in the back with the dogs. It sounds worse than it was, she had cushions and could stretch out and there is a shell on the back of the truck. So, basically she was comfy most of the way until about 3 miles from Akumal when Hombre took a dump near her head and she spent the rest of the time trying to keep everyone else from stepping in it and also trying not to gag from the smell. Hey, it’s just one of the joys of having dogs right?
RK & Bill at the head of the table
Then we had over a week where we were out to dinner with friends every night. Wonderful and fun and exhausting. One of those dinners was a fantastic Chinese New Years banquet hosted by our friends and neighbors RK and Bill, they have a beautifully restored colonial across the street from us. There were all of the foods that are traditional, whole fish, long life noodles and many more. RK explained the traditions for the 20 guests and we all ate way too much and took some home. I counted 4 languages being spoken around the table, it was a marvelous night. RK and Bill live most of the year in Seattle and the whole evening reminded me of other banquets for the New Year when I lived in San Francisco. Very nostalgic and really wonderful to be able to enjoy this here in Mérida. The restaurant owner has another restaurant in Campeche but he came over personally to cook for us – well, really for RK I think.
On the 8th or 9th night we had a night at home and ate breakfast for dinner, our favorite. Scrambled eggs with fresh basil and queso Oaxaca, English muffins with home made (but not by me) naranja agria marmelade, little smokies from Canada – it was another international feast.
not finished but already stunning
On Thursday we drove out to Santa Elena, near Uxmal, to see our friend Sheila’s new house. It’s incredible! She has many acres of land and the house sits on a slight rise with a classic look and wide verandas on two sides. Inside it is tall and cool and stunning. I can’t wait to see it finished.
On the way home I could not get warm, I huddled in our windowless jeep with 2 jackets and a beach towel over me, the heater on and still shivering. When we got home I got my hot water bottle and took to my bed under the comforter for about 2 days. I don’t think I came downstairs at all, I couldn’t get that far from the hot water bottle! I had a low fever, bone aches and the shivers. I slept most of that time but did read a couple books. After that, I was fine. Who knows what I had, just some random virus I guess.
The result of all this is that I didn’t turn my computer on for days and I’m now so seriously backed up on email that I may never get through it all. If you wrote me and I didn’t answer… I’m sorry, I’ll try to get them, but if it is important you might want to send me another email.
So, that’s what I’ve been doing up until today. Today they started on the back garden, tearing up all those rocks we’ve come to hate, but that’s a story for another day.
I didn’t know you’d come to hate your backyard rocks :-0 Why? They look really cool to me.
Will you be changing to grass – mowing
or do they have artificial grass coverings available in your area….Home Depots?. They make some very lush real-looking grasses now….. especially for dog runs with good drainage and easy cleanup…also helps with ground bugs and fleas.
http://www.pup-grass.com/
http://www.polyturf.com/gallery_dog_runs.shtml
Busy people! And I don’t know how Mimi did it, the smell would have made me get sick right there and then; that is a picture you have painted.
I love that house Sheila is building. I am getting the itch to build something again, just so Miguel can design it and I can furnish it. Of course, I don’t have the money to do that, we are still waiting for the lottery to hit with our numbers…
But you two are always that busy, you know more people, go to more events, and are just generally busy busy women.
Debi
You know those pictures where the subject’s face is indistinct but there is a telling feature nearby that gets to that person’s core personality like nothing else can? Look at the top pic again. What a portrait!
Can’t have pets and not have poo talk! That was too funny!
Mic, I’m writing that post now. No lawn though, and no artificial grass either.
Sue, hope your numbers hit, I’m going to try it one of these days.
Debi, amazingly enough, I think the same about you guys… you seem to know everyone and you are always out and about and busy. By the way young lady, where were you last night? We missed you in Spanish class
I’m a fine one to talk, eh?
Linda, thank you. I love that picture because it has motion and meaning.
Chris, yeah we spend way too much time on our pets intake and output.